Professor Fiona Stanley AC

Born in Sydney in 1946, she moved to Perth with her family in 1956. She studied medicine at the University of Western Australia and practised in hospitals for two years before going to the United Kingdom and USA for further training in epidemiology (the science of describing and explaining the occurrence of disease in populations), biostatistics and public health.

Professor Stanley is the founding Director of the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, established in Perth in 1990. The Institute is multi-disciplinary and researches prevention of major childhood illnesses. It currently has more than 400 staff and students. She is a Professor in the School of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of Western Australia.

Professor Stanley is also the Chair of the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth, a national collaboration of researchers, policy makers and practitioners from a broad range of disciplines who are committed to building a better future for Australia's children and young people.

In 2004, Professor Stanley was honoured as a “National Living Treasure” by the National Trust. She is the UNICEF Australia Ambassador for Early Childhood Development.

Professor Stanley has more than 200 published papers in scientific journals, is a member of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council and the Australian Statistics Advisory Council. She has given many presentations, both nationally and internationally, on the socio-economic determinants of child health

Professor Stanley is married to Professor Geoffrey Shellam. They have two daughters.